The Thirsty Games
by webgirls1216
Summary: A spin- off of The Hunger Games! We do not own any characters from The Hunger Games!
1. Chapter 1

A/N

*Hey guys, this is our first story. Please no hate. We do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters described! This is our spin-off of the beloved book and movie series. All rights belong to Suzanne Collins. Hope you like it! –Suzy and Lottie *

CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

-Katniss-

I awoke to the sound of Prim screaming and crying. I sat upright on my uncomfortable mattress and scurried to my little sister's bedside. I picked her up and hugged her. I gently rubbed the back of her head and tried to calm her down. "They're gonna pick me," she squeaked. "No, Prim. It's only your first year. Your name is only in there once," I said. "They're not gonna pick you," Honestly though, I didn't know for sure. The capital can be pretty sneaky when it comes to the games. Everyone there absolutely loves them. They make killing people into a fun and enjoying T.V. show. It really makes me sick. "Katniss?" Prim said softly. Her blonde hair was slightly tangled and her green eyes were shiny from crying. "Yeah Prim?" "Will you sing to me?" She asked. "Yes," I replied softly. "Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow…" I sang softly. When I was done, I told Prim I had to go. "Where?" She asked. "I just gotta go. I'll be back soon. I love you." I tucked her back in and walked to the door. I slipped on my jacket and my old brown boots and opened the door. I shut the door behind me. I didn't bother to be quiet. My mom wouldn't hear me anyway. She never hears anything anymore.

I ran outside into the cold. I looked around and saw people shivering violently, just trying to stay alive. As I kept running, I got near the fence outlining the borders of district 12. The fence is made of metal and said to be high voltage. But I knew it wasn't. I've been around this fence for as long as I can remember, and I've never got shocked. It was put up by the capital to keep people from escaping into the thick wooded areas surrounding our poverty- stricken district. I don't care about the fence, though. I need to do whatever I can to get food for my family. Even if that means I have to sneak past the capital's barrier and risk being caught. My dad taught me how to hunt when I was younger. He was always good at survival. Ask him what any plant or animal was and he would tell you. Of course that was before he passed away in a coal mining accident. Ever since that day, my mother had never been the same.

Pushing away the thoughts of my parents, I slipped between the barbed wires of the fence, careful not to get my old clothes caught on the sharp metal. I ran through the trees until I got about thirty feet in  
the woods. I reached in a hollow log and grabbed my bow and arrows secretly stored there. I took one arrow out of my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I hope I can get something good today. Yesterday all I found was a squirrel that was already dead. It had flies on it and birds were picking at it. I needed something good today. I stealthily ran a couple steps and standing right there about fifteen feet away from me was a medium sized deer. It was enough to feed my family for a week! I quietly came closer, making sure to stay out of sight. Even though I was being quiet, the deer lifted its head up from the plant it was eating and looked around.

-Gale-

I saw Katniss holding her bow and getting ready to shoot. She lifted it up to aim. "What're you going to do with that when you kill it?" I shouted. As soon as the words left my mouth, the deer scurried away. "Dammit, Gale!" Katniss yelled. I walked up to her and said "What were you gonna do with that if you killed it Catnip?" I smirked. "I was gonna sell it…to peacekeepers. Hopefully get some food and money for my family. Now I have nothing." She snapped. "Hmm" I picked up a small rock and launched it at a tree. Five or six birds flew out and Katniss shot one directly in the chest. It sank to the ground and Katniss ran up and picked it up. Clean shot right in the center of the bird's body. "Good work, Catnip." I said. She looked at me, still a little anger in her eyes, but then she smiled. "Well at least I have a bird,"

Katniss said. "I can still get something for a bird."

-Katniss-

Gale and I sat at our usual spot and talked. "What if just for one year, no one watched?" Gale said. "It won't happen Gale," I said. "The capital makes everyone watch, and even if no one in the districts watched, the people in the capital would still watch because in some sick way, they find it amusing. They'll never stop unless they kill off every single person, and if they run out of young people, they'll probably throw in old people because they live for this. All year everyone impatiently waits for the games to start and everyone rips their hair out when they're over because they know they'll have to wait another year. And honestly, everyone in the districts has to watch to see if their loved ones are okay or not." Gale frowned. "I didn't ask for you to lecture me, Katniss." But he knew I was right. No one would ever stop watching. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and then he said, "We should probably get back to our families and get ready for the reaping." "Yeah," I agreed.

At home, Prim was dressed in a nice white shirt, a flower skirt, and little high heels. Her hair was done up in French braids and she was sitting on her bed, watching my mother lay out an outfit for me. I got in my small wooden bath and washed my feet, armpits, back and hair. When I was out, I put on a light blue dress and my mom put my hair up in braids on the back of my head. I slipped on my best pair of shoes and Prim and I were out the door.

-Effie Trinket-

(What she's thinking)

This district is so poor… I wish I could've gotten district one or two…Look at every one coming here…even they're nicest clothes are disgusting…

-Katniss-

I took Prim by the hand and walked her up to the check-in table. When she saw that they prick your finger for a blood sample, she stopped. Her breathing got heavier and her face got red. "Prim, its okay. It doesn't hurt much, just a little bit." She slowly walked to the table. When the lady there pricked her finger, she jumped a little bit. The lady put her bloody finger on a piece of paper and said, "Go ahead," as Prim walked ahead, the lady said "Next!" Now it was my turn. She did the same to me, and then I walked up into the crowd. I couldn't see Prim anymore, but she's probably up with her friends. I watched as a very pale creature walked up on the stage. The creature had a white bush on its head and hideously bright fabric on its body. "WELCOME! WELCOME, WELCOME! HAPPY HUNGER GAMES, AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!" Oh, the creature was human, then. Whoever this lady was, she was very enthusiastic.

She, like all the other people from the capital, was very excited the huger games were starting. I honestly zoned out during a video she showed us. I've already seen this video at least five times before and I was busy worrying about Prim. What if she did get picked? The game makers are very cruel people… picking a little twelve year-old is definitely something they would do and- My thoughts were interrupted by the enthusiastic woman's voice saying, "It's time to pick one courageous young man and woman to represent district twelve for this year's hunger games! As usual, ladies first!" She walked over to a big glass bowl with all the girls' names in it. She reached in and grabbed a piece of paper and looked at it for a moment. After the longest moment of my life, she announced the female tribute's name. "Primrose Everdeen!" She shouted. No. This can't be happening. Please be another Primrose Everdeen. After a minute, the woman said, "Where are you dear?" No answer. "Come on up," Nothing. "Don't be shy," Prim started slowly walking up to the front. I knew in that moment that something had to be done. Prim was too soft, too delicate to survive the harsh brutality of the games. I ran up behind her. "Prim! Prim! I volunteer! I volunteer!" I pushed past security guards and gave prim a hug. "Prim, you need to go find mom." "No!" she yelled. "I'm sorry Prim, but you need to go find mom right now." "No!" She yelled again. "I'm so sorry Prim, but find mom!" Gale must have seen me struggling to get Prim out of here because he emerged from the large crowd of males. Gale picked Prim up in his arms and began to carry her away. "Noooooo! Aghhhh!" She shrieked. Soon Gale's tall figure disappeared from my view and I was sucked back into the seriousness of the moment. I had just volunteered to die. I walked up to the stage and climbed up the stairs. The pale woman asked, "What's your name?" "Katniss Everdeen," I mumbled. "Well I bet that was your sister, wasn't it?" "Yes," I replied, feeling numb. "Everyone clap for district twelve's very first volunteer!" Nobody clapped. Instead they raised three fingers as a sign of respect towards my actions. "Well then," The pale woman said. "Now for the boys!" She walked over to the other big glass bowl and pulled out another piece of paper. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that everything sounded far away. I could barely hear the pale woman yell, "Peeta Mellark!" I saw a guy start slowly walking up to the stage. Gale had a nervous look on his face. I could see nothing but black.

Suddenly I was in a room hugging Prim and telling her not to put her name in extra times 'cuz it's not worth it, telling her to sell cheese from her goat and that Gale will bring her game to eat. "Try to win," Prim said "Well maybe I can. I am smart, and I can hunt." I responded. She nodded. I had to lie. For Prim's sake. Now it was my mother's turn to talk to me. "You have to be there for her now. Do you understand?" I asked. "Yes," my mom whispered. "I'm not gonna be here to help her anymore. No matter how you feel you have to be there for her." A security guard opened the door and pulled them out. Prim started sobbing again. "Prim it's gonna be okay!" I yelled. I only had a couple minutes left to talk before I would be dragged away to my death. I was expecting Gale to come in, but he never did. A couple minutes pasted. No Gale… why wouldn't he come? Was he mad at me for volunteering? Didn't he know that I had to this to save Prim? Or was he just too sad to see me? I wanted to cry. This was my last chance to ever see Gale and he wouldn't come.

The guards led me and Peeta onto a big silver train and the creature walked in behind us. Peeta and I sat in two seats next to each other. The creature sat in the seat across from me. "Hello, Cattail and Pizza," she said. "Um my name's Peeta…not Pizza. And her names Katniss, not Cattail." I would usually laugh because the creature said 'Pizza' instead of Peeta and 'Cattail' instead of Katniss, but I felt too numb right now. "Yes, well welcome you two. You're in for a treat! Even though you're here, and it's only for a little while, you get to enjoy this." Well, yay. Lemme go grab my dancing shoes. "I'll go find Haymitch," The creature said. "Um, wait!" Peeta said. "What's your name?" "Effie Trinket." She smiled and walked out of the room.

Later that night, at dinnertime, Peeta and me sat awkwardly at a small table packed with food. Neither of said or ate much. It was a long day for both of us. I kept my head down because I didn't want anyone to see my face. My eyes were probably red from trying to hold back tears and I was exhausted. As the servants were clearing of the tables, I noticed someone familiar. Gale.

A/N

*Oh SHITT CLIFFHANGERR! Sorry if this chapter isn't good guys. We hope you all like it, and please message us to tell us if you think we should write a second chapter.*

-Suzy & Lottie-


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. Special thanks to people who commented or followed us. :) We hope you like the idea of Gale sneaking on the train and we promise he's not an avox… Yet ;)

CHAPTER 2

-Katniss-

I awoke to the sound of Prim screaming and crying.

"No, Prim. It's only your first year. They're not gonna pick you,"

"Primrose Everdeen!" She shouted.

"Prim! Prim! I volunteer! I volunteer!"

Then I looked at the crowd. As they raised three fingers, they started whispering to me. "Katniss," they said. "Katniss," they whispered again. "Katniss!" They yelled. I woke up screaming. I looked around the room and realized that I was on a train, and everything I'd dreamt had been true. It was a couple seconds later when I felt arms wrapped around me. "Agh-mph!" I made a noise thinking it was a robber or something. But my scream didn't make much of a noise because someone covered my mouth with their hand. "Katniss! It's just me!" I heard the familiar voice and found myself smiling. "Gale!" I smiled and hugged him tightly. It almost felt like home with him here. But the good old days were over. They would never come back. Happiness filled the room for a second. I realized that Gale didn't come to say goodbye to me because this wasn't goodbye. He was too busy sneaking on the train. Then all the happiness fled the room and the mood went back to serious. I let go of Gale. "Gale, why are you here?" I asked. "Not that I don't like it, but you could die!" He opened his mouth to talk but I beat him to it. "Do you realize what could happen?" He was about to say something but I interrupted again. "Our families could be punished! We'll definitely get-" He put his fingers to my lips. "Hush." He warned. "How stupid do you think I am, Catnip? You think I don't know how much danger I put us all in?" I wasn't sure if I should smile because I was happy he was here, or if I should smack him in the face for how much of an idiot he'd been. "Gale, you know I don't think you're stupid, but-" He interrupted me. "Listen good 'cause I'm only gonna say this once." He had a serious look on his face. I nodded. "Were arriving to the capital tomorrow morning and I want you to do anything you possibly can to win." "Gale, it's not that easy." "Sure it is." He said. "No, Gale it's not! I have to fight twenty-three other people who all want to kill me!" I was about to go on yelling again, when Gale's hand reached up and slapped my face. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't something Gale would do. I could feel the surprised look on my face. "Well I needed some way to get you to shut up!" He snapped. He started walking out of the room. "See ya later, Catnip!" He yelled, angry. His hand was on the doorknob as he said, "I'm sorry, Katniss." I remained silent. "Well I sneaked on this train and almost got caught, so you better win." He turned his head to the side and I thought I could see a little smirk on his face. "But, Gale-" "No buts. You're gonna win-you better win." Even though I was a little annoyed, his confidence in me did make me feel a little bit better.

In the morning I got up and walked into the bathroom. I pulled of my dress from the reaping and took down my braid. I climbed into a weird looking machine that I assumed was a bath tub because there was a toilet and sink in here, so it had to be the bathroom. I looked around and then thought to myself, how the heck does this work? I must've been in there ten minutes trying to get it to work. I finally found something that looked like a lever, and then pulled it. Freezing water hit my skin. I let out an involuntary yelp because it was so cold. "Katniss?" I heard a voice say. "Gale! I'm in here!" I yelled. I had just assumed it was him, but then I realized that it was really stupid to say. What if it was someone else? Would Gale get caught? I pressed my body to the wall in the bathing chamber- whatever this was, to get away from the freezing water, but it was no use because there was water coming out from every direction. I heard the door creak open, and then I felt the water turn off. Then I felt a towel wrap around me. Someone was holding the towel to my back and I turned to see who it was. My jaw dropped down. It was _not _the person I'd expected. My face was about 2 inches away from a smirking Peeta Mellark.

A/N:

So what'd you think of this chapter? Sorry, it's a bit short. If you guys liked this, then please message us to write another one, and we will. Thanks for reading, everyone! :)

Suzy & Lottie


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter! We appreciate it! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. :)

CHAPTER 3:

-Gale-

I was helping the other servants prepare breakfast when I heard Katniss' voice call me. It sounded like she said 'Gale! I'm in here!' I quickly snuck away and ran to Katniss' room. I opened the door and closed it quietly behind me. Katniss was nowhere to be found. Where could she be? I looked around for a moment, until I noticed a door across the room was slightly ajar with a stream of light shining out.

-Katniss-

"Peeta! Go away!" I yelled. "Quiet down, Katniss! I'm just trying to help you!" He looked startled. "I didn't ask for your help! I asked for-" "Gale?" He finished my sentence. "I know he's here, Katniss." He said calmly. "But how?" I asked, surprised. "I saw him and recognized him." I started thinking about what would happen to Gale if Peeta told anybody he snuck onboard. I was so consumed with my troublesome thoughts; I almost ignored the fact that he saw me naked. I wrapped my towel around my body tightly, and grabbed his shoulders. "Listen, Peeta. If you say anything about Gale to anyone…" I didn't even have to say the rest. "I know, I know. Now could you let me go? You're starting to hurt my shoulders." I let go. I pulled the shower curtain to cover me, hoping to get on with my washing in peace. I took off my towel and hung it on a bar in the bath. I hadn't heard the door close yet, meaning Peeta hadn't left. "Peeta?" "Yes?" He asked. "Could you please go now? You don't want to see me naked again, do you?" He was about to respond, probably with a perverted comment, when a different voice interrupted. "You saw her naked?" The voice sounded very irritated. My eyes widened. I knew that voice anywhere. It was Gale. Shit. I pulled the curtain back a bit so I could see what was happening.

Peeta started to say, "Listen, I was just-" But Gale cut him off. "Just what?" Gale seemed even more annoyed now. When Peeta said nothing, Gale said, "Just trying to what, Peeta?" It was supposed to be a question, but it sounded more like a statement. "Just trying to get to the door to leave." Peeta said awkwardly. "You're not getting off that easy." Gale snarled. He grabbed Peeta's shoulder. "Listen it was an accident." Peeta took Gale's hand and ripped it off his shoulder. "I didn't mean to." "So let me get this straight," Gale started. "You just 'accidentally' walked into Katniss' bathroom and happened to see her standing there without clothes?" Peeta looked down. "Sorta." Gale's eye's narrowed. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that." I sensed a fight coming on, so I wrapped the towel around myself again and climbed out. Looks like my bathing won't be happening right now. Both boys looked at me. "Gale, don't get mad, it wasn't Peeta's fault." Of course I knew that it was Peeta's fault. He'd really been a dick. He looked in my bath, but I wasn't about to come crying to Gale about it. I knew that Gale was overprotective of me and would most likely break Peeta like a twig. "I asked Peeta to help me get the water going." I felt like an idiot lying, but it was the only way to get Peeta out of this. "I'm not used the Capitals' crazy contraptions." "See Gale?" Peeta said nervously. "That's all that happened." "Humph." Gale grumbled. Peeta practically sprinted out of the room. "I still don't trust him." Gale muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Get out. Let me take my damn bath." "I thought you needed help working it?" Gale eyed me suspiciously. "I'm smart. I can handle it." I shooed Gale away and climbed back in the machine. I hung the towel on the metal bar again and pulled the lever. Once again, coldness covered my body. I jerked the lever the other way, and the water instantly turned hot. Then I started to soap up my body.

After my eventful shower, I went back to my room and found some clothes. I pulled on some black pants and a simple long-sleeved blue shirt. I looked around more and found white ankle socks. I pulled them on my feet, and then looked for shoes. All I found were a pair of black combat boots and about one hundred pairs of high heels. I'll take the boots, thank you.

After I was all dressed, I made my way down to the dining room. Peeta and an older guy with long, oily hair were already eating. I sat down quietly and poured myself a glass of water. I sipped slowly, and then set my cup down gently. I put some sort of meat on my plate, and cut off a piece with a knife. I took a bite, and quickly swallowed. I took another bite. And another. This was delicious! I reached over my plate to a pot that had steaming soup in it. I poured some into a bowl and reached over to another pot. Many different vegetables were all mixed together. I got some of that, too. I must've eaten my weight in food; everything was so good. I stopped eating for a second to catch a quick glance at the other two people at the table. They were both looking at me. "Enjoying yourself?" The greasy guy asked in a slurred voice. I squinted at him. "Yes, I am." "Well I'm not." He said. "Want to know why? Because these damn people here won't give me anymore wine!" Peeta chuckled. "I don't think you need anymore, Haymitch." Haymitch. So that was his name. I couldn't help but laugh. Haymitch got angry and swung blindly at Peeta. He got him square in the jaw, too. "OW!" Peeta exclaimed. Peeta's chair fell back from the blow. Haymitch was about to attack him again, when I picked up a glass bottle half full of grape juice and stood. I smashed the bottle over Haymitch's head as hard as I could. The bottle shattered, sending the rest of the dark liquid and shards of glass across the table and rug. Haymitch fell to the ground, unconscious. After a second, Peeta got up. He was holding his jaw where Haymitch had hit him. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Mph!" Peeta grunted in response. He started walking away. I followed him. Peeta walked through a door, and I trailed behind him. As I entered his room, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me off to the side. "What the hell was that?" Gale asked. "I was just trying to help Peeta." I said quietly. We waited there for a moment. "Why aren't we at the Capital yet?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "There's a problem with the train. We stopped moving in the middle of last night, so were gonna get to the Capital either late tonight, or early tomorrow morning." I nodded, and started to walk away. "Why are you trying to protect _Peeta_?" Gale sneered. "I…I don't know." I said. "Is there a problem with trying to help out a friend?" Gale looked sad, but then his face hardened. "No. You…you do whatever the hell you want." With that said, Gale angrily stomped off. I sighed. Instead of trying to help Peeta, I walked off to my own room. I took my shoes off, and threw myself down on my bed. After a while, I drifted off to sleep. I barely slept the night before due to my nightmares.

Gale and I were hunting in the woods like we used to. We quietly ran towards a creek where a deer was drinking, and raised our bows. All of a sudden, people with weapons came out of nowhere. They tried to attack me and Gale. Wait a minute. Where was Gale? "Gale!" I screeched. "Gale where are you?" "I'm right here, Katniss." Someone next to me said. I looked at him. It was Peeta. All of a sudden, a sharp pain hit my stomach. Someone stabbed me! I fell to the ground. "Ahhh!" I screamed.

Everything was white.

Then I woke up.

I shot up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. My breathing was heavy. "Calm down, Katniss." a voice whispered. "Gale! I had the worst dream! I got stabbed! And you and Peeta-" I trailed off. "Died?" He finished my sentence. "I don't think so. Well maybe, but I woke up in time." I was still shaking. It felt so real. "Its okay, Katniss." Gale tried to calm me. "No its not! I'm gonna die! Do you understand that?" Gale looked right at me. He leaned down close to my face. Is he trying to kiss me? As he got really close, I turned my head and coughed. He leaned back away from me. "I should get some more sleep." I said quietly. "Okay, but I'm staying here with you." I looked up at him. "If you have another bad dream, I'll be here. Just in case." He lay down beside me. I didn't feel like arguing, so I just lay on the other side of the bed, facing the wall. I felt his eyes on my back. "Katniss?" I heard him ask. "What?" "Do you like Peeta?" I closed my eyes. I wasn't going to answer that. Instead I was going to go back to sleep, and hope no one would come in here and see Gale.

A/N:

We hope you enjoyed this chapter! We have decided to keep going with the story, since it's so much fun to write. Are you team Peeta or Gale? Please comment! Love you all! 3

Suzy & Lottie


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Writing this story is interesting because I'm team Peeta and Suzy is team Gale. We have a lot of fun writing this and my sister and I have very different ideas so I think we work together very well. Thanks for all the support! ;) – Lottie

Chapter 4:

-Katniss-

I woke up to the sound of soft snoring in my ear. I felt an arm draped over my waist and felt Gale's steady chest move each time he took a breath. I gently removed his arm from my waist, and got up. "Katniss…" I heard Gale mumble. I turned to look at him, but found that my friend was still sleeping. "Kattnisss…" He drew out the syllables in my name. Gale was talking in his sleep. He must have been having a nice dream about me because he started smiling in his sleep. I chuckled to myself and decided to wake him from his embarrassment. "Gale!" I whisper- shouted. He didn't wake. Damn. He's a heavy sleeper. I tried pinching his arm and he finally awoke with a surprised screech. "What the hell Catnip!" I laughed deeply. "Sorry Galey I had to wake you up somehow…" He looked angry for a moment, but his anger dissolved when he heard 'Galey'. "You woke me up from a really good dream!" He whined, still trying to act angry. It took everything in me not to call him out on saying my name in his sleep. My lip twitched a bit at the memory, but I refused to crack a smile. Just then, someone knocked on my door. Holy shit! What if they saw Gale? I panicked immediately and did the first thing I thought of. I pushed Gale off the bed. He landed with a thud. I quickly rolled him under the bed and told him to stay quiet. I stood and straightened my shirt. I nonchalantly walked to the door, acting like nothing just happened. I opened the door to find Effie Trinket staring back at me. Today she was dressed in all green, complete with a green tinted wig and heels a mile high. She obviously thought she looked good like that, but if I didn't know any better I would've thought she was a walking pine tree. "We have arrived at the Capital!" She screeched. "Follow me, dear. Since we got here late, we need to start right away! Your prep team is waiting to meet you!" She started walking away. "Okay, One minute." I closed the door. I walked over to the bed and crouched down. I grabbed Gale's arm and pulled him out from under the bed. "Why'd you do that?" He asked, annoyed. "Sorry. I couldn't risk anyone seeing you." I smiled a little. "You should probably go. I have to change." He nodded. "But what if someone see's me?" "Everyone's busy, so just try to stay quiet and no one will notice you." He got up of the ground and walked out.

I quickly changed into clean black pants and a gray shirt. I kept the combat boots that I had found yesterday on my feet. I brushed my teeth and hair, taking a deep breath before I opened the door. Effie was outside waiting for me. When she saw I was ready, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the train to a big building. I was lead through twisted hallways to a large room with a bunch of equipment in it. I could see Peeta at the other end of the room, laying on a bed as people worked on him. A few people came to me and started squealing. "This is gonna be so fun!" One said in a high pitched voice. To be honest, I couldn't really tell if they were male or female. All three people were dressed in brightly colored, flashy outfits. They had glitter everywhere and so much makeup on; I couldn't see their actual facial features. Overall, they looked like rainbow mutants. They led me over to a cot, like the one Peeta was on. They got a bunch of equipment out and started poking and prodding at my face and body. They washed and scrubbed me until my skin felt raw and they yanked a lot of hair out on my legs and face. After the longest hour of my life, they were finally finished with the torture. I was brought into a different room, much smaller and one of the stylists told me that someone named Cinna was going to come talk to me. The door was then locked and I was left alone. I laid down on another cot. I was thankful, truthfully, as I had some time to collect my thoughts. I wonder where Gale was. I wonder how Prim and my mother were doing back home. My thoughts were interrupted when a man walked in. He looked fairly young and was attractive. He didn't look like the other people that I've seen so far in the Capital. He was dressed in all black and had hardly any makeup on, except for a thin line of gold eyeliner on each eye. I immediately sat up on the cot. "That was the bravest thing I've ever seen, with your sister." I was surprised that those were the man's first words to me. He really gets down to business, doesn't he? Ignoring his words I responded with "So, you're here to make me look pretty?" He looked me in the eyes and confidently said, "I'm here to make you give a good impression." My opinion of him shot through the roof as he spoke.

Later, my ensemble was complete with my hair and makeup light and girly, yet sexy, and a red hot dress. Literally. There were flames that shot out of the back. I met up with Peeta. I have to say, the boy cleaned up nice. We were led to a chariot where we were instructed to stand. After standing in awkward silence for about twenty minutes, with Peeta staring at me the whole time, our chariot finally took off. Large doors opened to reveal a long runway with two giant crowds of people on each side. The people screamed as we passed by. I heard announcers fangirling over the districts outfits, but I did my best to zone them out. Peeta tried to grab my hand, but I yanked my arm away. Not to be a bitch, but I didn't want people to think we were _together_ together. "Come on, they'll love it" Peeta whined. I sighed, grabbing his hand and raising our interlocked fists in the air. They did love it. The crowd went wild and I could barely hear myself think with all the screaming.

The chariots stopped in horseshoe formation around a balcony. On the balcony was an ancient looking man with snow white hair and a beard. He came forward to speak. "Let the 74th annual Hunger Games begin!" He stated, making the crowds go berserk. He picked his nose a little before continuing, "And may the odds be ever in your favor." As he spoke, his eyes wandered until they landed on me.

He seemed to be staring straight through my chest, to my soul.

A/N:

Thanks for reading this chapter! Please leave any thoughts below! Thanks ;)

-Suzy & Lottie


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